


Three's (not) a Crowd

by HiddenTreasures



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, First Meetings, Fluff, Multi, Romance, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-26 04:47:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9863561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenTreasures/pseuds/HiddenTreasures
Summary: All her life, her soulmark read 'Clara James'... So when Rose met her soulmate and her name was Clara Oswald, both girls realized that their soulmark was only half-filled.





	

Rose was idly flipping through her textbook, knowing she ought to study, but not particularly wanting to. She groaned in frustration when she realized she hadn’t absorbed any of the material from the last hour of perusal.

She huffed out a breath and stood up, leaning back to crack her spine, before she shoved her school things into her bag and started making her way to a nearby chippie for lunch. However, a hot prickle on her wrist made her stop short.

She tugged up her sleeve to reveal her soulmark, which she’d had since she turned eighteen. _Clara James_. It was uncommon for the soulmate to give the first and last name of the soulmate, but not unheard of, and Rose thought her soulmate had the prettiest name.

Before today, the mark had just been a splash of black ink on her wrist, but now, it was a little hot, and was it changing colors??

Rose’s heart started pounding in her ribs. She’d heard about this… The soulmark would start to burn when the soulmates were in close proximity. Rose whirled around wildly, searching for someone else who was hopefully looking for her too.

But she couldn’t see anyone. She started jogging around randomly, hoping the soulmark would lead her in the right direction. And as much as her stomach was growling, the mark grew colder and blacker as she headed towards the chippie, so she turned around and tried a new direction.

She realized how daft she must have looked, turning in circles and jogging and stopping dead in the middle of the walkways, but she didn’t care. Finally, she found a direction—northeast—that made her arm burn, and she chased the sensation.

It burned hotter and hotter until Rose was sure her whole arm must be red. But no… Just the words on her arm. Oh… word. Only the word Clara was gleaming bright scarlet. Rose stopped in a panic—was there something wrong with her soulmate?—and was knocked into from behind by a short brunette.

Rose opened her mouth to apologize, when the burning on her wrist suddenly stopped. Her breath caught in her throat as she turned to face the woman.

“C-Clara?” she squeaked out.

“So sorry there, but I’m in a bit of a hurry, I’ve… Wait… How’d you know my name?”

Rose bit her lip and rubbed her thumb over her soulmark, which was cool to the touch.

Clara’s eyes zeroed in on the motion, and the most beautiful light of realization brightened her eyes.

“Rose?” she asked.

Rose grinned and extended her hand to her soulmate. “That’s me! Nice to meet you, Clara James.”

Clara’s hand dropped limply to her side, and a sense of foreboding crept up into Rose’s belly. She couldn’t have gotten it wrong, could she?

“It’s Clara Oswald. And you… you’re not Rose James, are you?”

Rose’s brow furrowed in confusion, and suddenly Clara took Rose’s hand and shoved up her sleeve. They both looked down. The ‘Clara’ ink was now a silvery-white, barely discernable through Rose’s pale reflection. But the ‘James’ ink was still black—and it looked even darker now that Clara’s name had paled.

Clara then set her own wrist beside Rose’s. They both gasped when they saw the same thing… ‘Rose’ had faded while ‘James’ was still penned in black.

“Looks like we’re still only half complete,” Clara murmured, rubbing her thumb across her own name on Rose’s wrist.

Rose shuddered under the touch, and she flexed her fingers to slot Clara’s fingers between hers.

“It’s not fair,” she whispered.

Clara wrenched her hand from Rose’s and gritted, “Well fine, then. Go off to wherever it is you were running. Sorry to disappoint.”

“No!” Rose gasped, realizing how her words sounded. “No, I meant… James. James is still out there. Alone. It’s not fair that we’ve met and can start our forever without him!”

Clara exhaled in relief, and she tentatively slipped her hand back into Rose’s.

“Then we’ll just have to find him,” Clara said firmly. “Er, but first… fancy a coffee?”

oOoOo

James had been intrigued by his soulmark ever since it had appeared on his wrist when he was eighteen. _Clara Rose_. It was uncommon for the soulmark to give the first and last name of the soulmate, but not unheard of, and James thought it was the prettiest name he’d ever heard.

He’d been aching to find his soulmate for years, but with no luck. His twenty-fifth birthday was approaching, and as he blew out the candles on the cake his sister made him, he wished to be united with his soulmate.

Later that evening, as he made the walk to the pub for dinner drinks with his mates, he felt a burning prickle on his wrist. He stopped in his tracks and excitedly pushed up the sleeves of his Oxford. Was it just him, or was the ink on his arm getting redder?

He took a few steps forward and gasped in delight when his skin started burning and the ink was most definitely getting redder.

“Oh, Clara Rose,” he murmured, wildly glancing around. “Where are you?”

He kept his eyes peeled on his soulmark, watching it glow brighter as he jogged forward, past the pub and nearer to a coffee shop. He took a step forward and was suddenly yanked backwards by two pairs of hands just moments before a car zoomed past him.

“Watch it!”

James’s arm burned so hot he feared his skin was about to melt off, and he gasped when he realized what that meant. He turned around to meet his savior, and was met with two pairs of gorgeous brown eyes that belonged to two gorgeous women. But which was his Clara Rose?

“Erm… thanks,” he stuttered, still glancing from woman to woman, and then down to their clasped hands. _Oh…_ Not his Clara then. “S-sorry. Thought you were someone else. Neither of you happen to be Clara Rose, would you?”

“Nope,” the brunette said, and James’s stomach dropped. _Where is she?_ “I am Clara Oswald, however.”

“And I’m Rose Tyler,” the blonde said, grinning.

James’s head was spinning. _Clara Rose_. Not Clara Rose… Clara _and_ Rose!

“And I take it you’re James?” the blonde— _Rose_ —prompted.

“Oh, yes,” he whispered, his heart hammering against his ribs. “Oh, yes!”

He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around both of their shoulders, crushing them to him. They both laughed in his ear, and the sounds were so beautiful and made so much happiness well up inside him that he couldn’t help but laugh with them.

“Oh, this is such a brilliant surprise!” James exclaimed, pulling back to look at his soulmates. “The best birthday gift I could’ve asked for!”

“It’s your birthday? Well, that’s cause for celebration!”

Clara turned away and grabbed Rose’s hand, and James felt a knot lodge low in his belly.

“Er, how long have you two…?” He swallowed thickly. Yes, they were his soulmates, and would be so perfect for him. But they both already looked so comfortable and familiar with each other. He was suddenly so jealous that they’d met each other before they met him, and had time to get a head start on a relationship.

“We met just last week,” Rose assured softly.

“We’ve been waiting for you,” Clara added, stepping up to him and grabbing his hand. “We’re finally complete. Me and my Rose and my James.”

“Together,” Rose said strongly, taking his other hand.

“Together,” he repeated, in utter awe that these two beautiful people were meant for him. He squeezed their hands and let himself be led into the warmth of the coffee shop just across the street.


End file.
